University of Virginia Library

Internal Disagreement

Just as the future of the Rotunda finally seemed to begin to shape up an internal threat arose.
Senator Cabell, afraid that he might miss the upcoming spring meeting of the Board of
Visitors, wrote Jefferson on 24 March to warn him that "it is highly probable that our friend
Genl. Cocke may propose at the meeting to adopt a course of proceeding somewhat different
from the one you seem to have adopted in regard to the Library. He has written to me, that
he should propose, first, to pay off all existing debts, and, then to adapt the plan of the
Library to the residue of the funds. Perhaps contracts which you have authorized may divert
him from this course." Cabell planned to go to Bremo on the 29th to try to sway Cocke to
support the prudent (in Cabell's view) plan of building the library's hull and depend on a
later session of the legislature to relieve the institution of the debts it had incurred during the
building process.[563] Upon receipt of Cabell's letter Jefferson drafted a "general view of the
finances" to show the visitors that the immediate debts of the university ($13,500) did not
cut too deeply into the funds made available by the new loan, thanks in part to the annual
annuity.[564] At its meeting the Board of Visitors authorized Cabell and Cocke to "settle and
repeat to the board" the accounts of both the bursar and proctor,[565] and after the meeting
Jefferson prepared a second statement of the finances to reassure Cocke (who missed the
meeting) that "the 4. rows & all expences of land Etc. will be compleated without taking a
dollar from the last loan, which it is the opinion of mr Br[ockenbrough] Dinsmore Etc. will
be quite sufficient to compleat the Rotunda. still we think it prudent to contract only for a
part at a time, so as never to go beyond our funds."[566] In the end Cocke was convinced of
the propriety of carrying on the work on the Rotunda as originally planned.